moments with you
by Tsuru Maiden
Summary: GoGo Tomago recounts about her moments spent with Tadashi Hamada- Tomadashi; Tadashi X GoGo. Drabble series. Pre-BH6, slight fluff.
1. Coat

**Author's note: To all who have read, reviewed and favourited 'five times she falls', my first Big Hero 6 fanfic, I give a very big thank you! As it had been a story with a dark tone and was marked as a tragedy, I have received some feedback on a happier Tomadashi story next time. Thus, I present to you "Moments", which mostly contains a lighter take on Tomadashi, and some fluff. ****Moments may not be set in chronological order. ****Thank you once again for the time taken to read both of my fanfics, and I hope readers enjoy! Please follow for updates on future chapters~**

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><p>1.<p>

"Trying to be a gentleman, Hamada?" GoGo drawls as she tightens the black leather jacket around her petite body. The wind howls in reply, and dark clouds loomed over like a menacing curtain, threatening rain and thunder at any moment. GoGo grunts when she's buffeted by another gust of wind, the cold biting at her skin. She doesn't have her bike with her, and neither did Tadashi have his moped (When she shot him a look, he had mumbled something along the lines of "Broke down", "Hiro". "Moshi" and finally, "It's a long story."). So they had to _walk_ back to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology in order to attend a lecture by Professor Callaghan, in the midst of a dawning storm.

In all, GoGo's in a bad mood, and seeing Tadashi take off his jacket- presumably for Honey Lemon, whom he's standing beside, makes her feel worse for some reason.

"Maybe," Tadashi grins as he hands said jacket over to GoGo. GoGo (being the supposed laconic, sarcastic, sassy and witty person she supposedly was) ends up staring at him.

"Isn't this for Honey Lemon?" She almost stammers. Tadashi simply smiles.

"I think Wasabi already has that covered." He indicates the hulking male handing Honey Lemon his dark green jacket, who promptly grins and thanks him.

GoGo is still a little stunned, but when Tadashi thrusts the jacket towards her more insistingly, she mumbles a "Thank you" and accepts it gratefully, because her skin is starting to break out into more goosebumps and her leather jacket (which is more of a fashion statement than an insulator of the cold) is barely enough to keep her warm.

When she thinks Tadashi isn't looking, GoGo pulls the jacket closer to her body and smiles a little.

It smelled of singed fabric (1), but for once, she doesn't quite mind.

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><p>(1) I've read about Tadashi getting burnt after Baymax short circuits (because I can't remember the exact details of Tadashi's test runs on Baymax), and that led to the singed jacket idea. And while the short circuiting part might be movie-canon, I'm not sure if Tadashi was wearing his blazer jacket during then. So, my apologies, everyone, if you're confused about it.


	2. Cookies

2.

GoGo Tomago is annoyed. Irked. Miffed. Bothered. In other words, very very upset.

The electro-magnetic wheels she's trying to invent keeps falling apart, its blueprints are starting to look fuzzy to her, her last piece of gum is turning stale, and GoGo feels her frustration mounting by the second. Blowing a large bubble and popping it loudly, GoGo sighs and spits out the gum into the trash can. Everyone had long went home with a productive day of research and inventions, and she swears even Tadashi is getting his marshmallow-bot, Baymax-or-some-other-name together.

So why was _she_ the only one with wheels that refuse to stay intact?

GoGo's stomach grumbles. She skipped out on dinner earlier in an attempt to make up for the lack of positive results with her invention, but it had ended in vain. GoGo doubts that there's anything left in the kitchen- a small, rarely used corner positioned two rooms away from the 'Nerd Lab', which also acted as a pantry. Professor Callaghan had insisted on such arrangements when he discovered how obsessive the five (though Fred's countability was questionable) of them could be when they were caught up in their research- to the point that they would neglect food until Fred pointed out they hadn't eaten for the day. But a trip to the kitchen would be worth a try- GoGo decides she needs to clear her head anyway.

It's quiet, and the only sound GoGo can hear is the flickering electric boards in the distant, outside the lab. Everyone has left ages ago- even Tadashi, who was usually the one to stay up the latest. Given that it's 1 am in the morning, GoGo concedes that if she doesn't make a breakthrough in another hour, she'd be better off packing up for the night (or day, depending how she looked at it). Still, an off day would affect her work negatively. GoGo groans once more as she stalks towards the kitchen.

For a while, she wonders if it's better giving up on her project-

She breaks out of her train of thought when she's met with the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies.

GoGo frowns in confusion (even though chocolate chip is her favorite cookie flavor), wondering if Honey Lemon has decided on a midnight baking project. She almost winces. Honey's a competent scientist, but her baking skills were… on a whole new, and separate, level. GoGo understands Honey's passion towards chemistry, but, simply put, experimenting with chemicals in the lab and experimenting with baking ingredients were two separate things. The former sounded more dangerous, but after tasting her 'Iced Honey Lemon cookies (1)' the other day, GoGo's starting to think the latter could be more life-threatening.

Oh well, she sighs. At least Fred managed to give Honey a decent nickname (Tadashi was the one to point out that "Iced Honey Lemon" and "Honey Lemon cookies" were too long, and GoGo took the role of breaking it to Fred that both were downright stupid nicknames. The five of them eventually settled on a compromise.)

Which is why her jaw drops when it's not the eccentric blonde standing in the kitchen, but Tadashi Hamada instead.

"_Tadashi_? What are _you_ doing here?" GoGo demands, startled. Tadashi's head whips around and he turns to survey GoGo in slight surprise.

"Baking?" Tadashi replies uncertainly, pulling out a pan of freshly baked cookies from the oven. GoGo's still in a grouchy mood, and seeing the person most likely to break her stoic facade doesn't help (she tries to tell herself at _least_ it's not Fred, but being mad at Fred and being mad at Tadashi was different somehow; the latter made her more flustered, and the former was more annoying). However, Tadashi _is_ baking, and GoGo's hungry. So she moves over to the kitchen counter, where Tadashi's setting the stack of cookies on the cooling rack, and seats herself on one of the tall chairs propped next to it. She spends the next few seconds staring at the cooling cookies.

GoGo's about to swallow her pride a little (because it _was_ Tadashi who told her she'd regret it if she missed dinner) and ask if she can have one, but Tadashi's already handing her a large chocolate chip cookie.

"I thought you'd be hungry after missing dinner. And grumpy, cos you're out of gum. Hiro's been bugging me about baking him chocolate chip cookies after he saw the ones Honey Lemon gave me last time. So I thought I'd make it here and give some to you too." Tadashi's saying. GoGo blinks and gingerly accepts the cookie. Her right hand stows around her pockets and she realises that he _is_ right- that she's out of gum. (And that she'd be hungry, but that was technically common sense and nothing to do with Tadashi's observance of her well-being). GoGo's surprised; even though she knew her gum supply was dwindling, she hadn't been aware that she'd already ran out. And she's even _more_ surprised that Tadashi's realised.

"Y'know, everyone has their off days sometimes," Tadashi interrupts her thoughts, positioning himself in a seat opposite of her. GoGo sighs softly, but feels slightly more comforted when she takes a bite out of the warm and soft confection she's still holding. She closes her eyes in bliss for a while. It's always been her favorite- ever since her mother had made it for her when she was young. A chewy and sweet heaven (She knows it's stupid to call a cookie _heaven_ but hey, she was only _five years old _back then). GoGo's eyes dull a little when she remembers it's always been something her stepmother could never seem to carry out with the same success (Her cookies always ended up either crunchy or rock-hard).

"But it's not everyone who fails to come up with anything productive when everyone else has." GoGo mutters after swallowing, a little depressed. Tadashi snorts.

"You kidding? I'm on my thirtieth test on Baymax today, and the only thing he's succeeded in doing is beat me up, deflate, screech, and otherwise, fail. If he weren't a robot, I'd swear he's doing it on purpose." Tadashi complains.

"But when he succeeds, it'll all be worth it." GoGo looks up when she hears the way Tadashi's voice softens, and she sees the gentle look in his brown eyes.

"He's going to help a lot of people when he functions properly, when I succeed. That's why I'm never giving up." Tadashi resolves, an undaunted smile adorning his determined features. And that's when GoGo has to smile at his words, because Tadashi Hamada _always_ manages to inspire her somehow, even when he's not meaning to, even when he's merely speaking about his thoughts and beliefs.

"But it's also unhealthy staying up too long, so you should rest early too." The spell is broken, and Tadashi reverts back to his chiding-mother-hen persona. GoGo stifles a laugh and rolls her eyes.

"I get it, _Hamada_," GoGo teases, knowing it irked her best friend when she used his last name in a sarcastic remark, "I'll call it a day if I can't make a breakthrough in half an hour." She turns to leave just as Tadashi begins packing the cookies into a paper bag. But before she leaves, GoGo turns back, a small smile on her face, and makes her resolve as well.

"But even if that's so, I'm not giving up, either."

Tadashi grins.

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><p>As GoGo packs up for the night (or day, she's starting to get slightly confused), she finds a neatly folded paper bag on her table, with a note taped to it.<p>

_"I lied. Hiro doesn't like them, but Honey told me they were your favourite."_

Inside the paper bag were chocolate chip cookies.

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><p>(1) I originally just wanted this to be a super short drabble on Tadashi baking while GoGo happened to be hungry. But when I searched cookie flavours, I found 'Iced Honey Lemon cookies' and I thought it'd be cool for Honey Lemon to get her nickname from there.<p> 


	3. Sleep

**Author's notes: Using past tense for this chapter! The idea was too suitable to pass up on. Thanks for the support, readers! Hope you enjoy the newest update- set chronologically after the second chapter.**

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><p>3.<p>

"Tadashi?" GoGo called out uncertainly as she walked into the Nerd Lab. She had planned to have breakfast with the recently sleepless Hamada, who had been constantly burning the midnight oil in an attempt to get Baymax to function properly. The last time she checked, he had been on his thirty-seventh test, and judging by the way Baymax had short-circuited and singed his jacket, GoGo's pretty certain it wouldn't be the last test Tadashi had to perform.

After the cookies he had given her, GoGo had wanted to repay the debt, which was why she was up much earlier than usual- at 7 am in the morning, wanting to invite Tadashi out for coffee. GoGo stifled a yawn. Sleeping at 3 am in the morning had been an obvious mistake- given how early she had to wake to get to the university in time, but Honey's persistent interrogation on her relationship with Tadashi yesterday had distracted her too much to properly go on with her science project, which prompted her to pull a late night in an attempt to make up for it. The faint shadows under GoGo's eyes were proof enough, but GoGo was aware that Tadashi's state was even worse than her. He was still in the lab yesterday even when she had prepared to leave, a look of weary determination on his face as he observed Baymax once more. She had left him a cup of coffee as an encouragement.

GoGo walked up to Tadashi's lab and knocked on the door. When no reply came, she stepped in silently, knowing Tadashi wouldn't mind even if he wasn't around. GoGo frowned at the sight before her. No one seemed to be present in the room. It was quiet.

In fact, the entire Nerd Lab was silent. Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Fred would probably turn up in one, two and three hours time respectively (Honey always came at 8 am sharp with a cup of tea in her hands, Wasabi came at 9 am- Half an hour earlier if he had to clean up, while Fred would make his way in at 10 am, yawning all the way, unless he had "early mascot duties" to attend to). Tadashi's time of arrival fluctuated wildly depending on his sleep (or rather, his lack of sleep, considering his late nights in the lab), and for a while, GoGo cursed herself silently for expecting Tadashi to actually be awake to have breakfast with her. He had probably been up until 4 in the morning, despite his insistence that staying up late was bad for one's health (GoGo wished he'd take his _own_ advice sometimes.) and was now in his bedroom snoring away. Oh well, GoGo sighed. If she was here early, she might as well resume her work. But before she left, GoGo walked up to the propped up body of what was supposed to be Baymax.

"So you're Baymax, huh?" She muttered. "You've been giving Tadashi trouble and sleepless nights, y'know?" She chuckled lightly as she surveyed the soft and huggable robot. Turning her head to observe the rest of the room, GoGo caught sight of something she hadn't seen when she first walked into the room.

"TADASHI?!" GoGo ran up to the curled up figure under the desk. He still had his cap on, and his knees were hugged against his chest, compressing himself as small as possible. GoGo almost laughed.

Tadashi Hamada had fallen asleep under his table.

"Had me worried there for a sec," GoGo whispered. But it was good that her best friend (she insisted that that was what he remained, no matter how much Honey claimed she and Tadashi were "practically dating") was finally resting. GoGo had almost thought that Tadashi was suffering from a bout of insomnia as of recent, the way he constantly stayed up and deepened the dark crescents under his eyes. Slowly, she removed the cap on his head and smoothed out his messy raven hair. Trust the Hamada to take a nap under the cramped space of a desk.

GoGo yawned. Her lack of sleep was catching up with her too.

Though, she had better get Tadashi to a more comfortable napping area first.

* * *

><p>Honey Lemon bounced into the Nerd Lab cheerfully. She frowned. She could have sworn Tadashi and GoGo would be here be here by now- they usually arrived earlier than her. But the place seemed unusually quiet.<p>

"GoGo? Tadashi?" Noticing that the door to Tadashi's lab was open, Honey entered it cautiously.

She almost gasped at what she saw.

Under Tadashi's table was not one, but two sleeping figures. One of them had his knees hugged against his chest, his signature cap missing from view, while the other figure was resting against his body, an unusual cap decorating her short and ruffled hair.

Honey Lemon chuckled. Tadashi and GoGo already looked much better from their recent nap- they had relaxed and peaceful expressions on their faces. It seemed cramp under there, but Honey Lemon didn't have it in her heart to awake them. Best to let them wake when their rest peaked and pretend she saw nothing.

Still, Honey Lemon whipped out her phone, ensured that it was on silent mode, and swiftly took a photo of the scene before her.

It was too sweet to pass up on after all.

* * *

><p>GoGo had no idea why Honey Lemon insisted on a pass code for her phone after that fateful (and embarrassing) day where she fell asleep against Tadashi Hamada.<p>

She's even more mystified by Honey Lemon's reply- "There are some important photos too significant to risk being deleted."

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><p>Done! I apologise for the slightly abrupt ending :( I'll try for a longer chapter next time round!<p> 


	4. Weight

4.

GoGo Tomago is slightly self-conscious about her weight (and, on an associative note, her height and figure too.)

There, she's admitted it. She just doesn't let it show. GoGo's not obsessive about her figure. She's stopped doing that years ago when yet another one of her stepmother's strict diet schemes has failed spectacularly. From then on, she's told herself that nothing else about what she ate and how she looked mattered so long as she was fit and healthy. And she still goes by that belief, even now.

She's just the _slightest_ bit put out that Honey Lemon's not only tall; (she almost towers over GoGo by a whole head. _More_ than a whole head, in fact, when in heels.) she's also slim and beautiful. And while GoGo never lets their differing appearances get in the way of their friendship, she can't help envying Honey Lemon's appearance at times, especially when the latter's sweet tooth became strongly evident in the desserts she orders when they're out (1).

GoGo tries her best not to let that trait blemish her self-esteem. She's pretty happy in her own skin- she's already shown that she's strong enough even without a standard feminine figure. Hell, she's even an adrenaline-junkie, in fact.

But that doesn't help when its 'Healthcare Day', and Professor Callaghan invites a few nurses from the San Fransyoko Medical Institute to take the heights, weights and blood pressures of the Institute of Technology students to give some other long-winded healthcare talk. Since the Nerd Lab only had five participants, it was deemed troublesome to set up screens and stations when taking down the particulars of the patients.

Which is why anyone's weight will be known to everyone in the room. And that thought makes GoGo just the slightest bit uncomfortable.

GoGo hopes (just a little) that Honey Lemon would go a few places after her- so nobody would compare the weights between the two girls. But no, luck wouldn't have it that way. The nurses insists on alphabetical order and GoGo is forced up, because G comes before H (even though she wants to protest that GoGo's technically not her real name). GoGo stands by the measuring tape first, trying to look bored and discontented as she pops her bubblegum loudly. She's long given up trying to seem taller than she actually was (which originally involved heels at Honey's insistence. GoGo dropped the idea within 24 hours) and she patiently waits for the nurse to write down 162.5 cm on her clipboard because GoGo knows she's not growing any taller at nineteen years old. Fred ambles close to the nurse curiously, and GoGo swears if he makes any comment about her height, she's going to stomp on his feet- shoeless or not.

When it's time to take her weight, GoGo sighs and spits out her gum at the nurse's insistence. Almost tentatively, she steps onto the weighing scale, risking a slight glance at the beeping numbers beneath her.

53 kg.

GoGo's taken aback, inwardly. She knows the average weight for her size is 50 kg, and the fact that she's still managed to exceed it despite her petite stature comes as somewhat of an unwanted surprise.

"Wow, GoGo, you're-" Fred's curiosity peaks and he squints down at the numbers displayed on the minuscule screen.

GoGo's eye twitches just the slightest, and she steps down from the weighing scale just in time to stamp her right foot on Fred's.

"Fifty-three." Fred winces at the impact, but it doesn't stop him from reading aloud the mortifying news. GoGo says nothing, either to deny or confirm Fred's words, but shoves her feet back into her trainers when the Nurse spouts Honey Lemon's name next, maintaining a nonchalant air. GoGo shuffles to the sidelines, and just as she thinks it's safe and no one is poking fun about her statistics, Fred cheerily announces that Honey Lemon's a 177.5 cm (which meant she had grown slightly taller. Again.) and that she weighs three kilograms lighter than GoGo- at 50 kg. GoGo merely gives a small smile when Honey Lemon lights up at the news of her weight, evidently pleased that her new diet's worked, and tries not to notice Tadashi Hamada staring at her with a thoughtful look on his face.

It's Fred's turn next, but GoGo's distracted, trying to ignore Tadashi, who doesn't seem to have the same qualms as her, given how he's smiling at her with a musing look.

"Amused by my weight?" GoGo mutters out of the corner of her mouth. She can't help it. Her best friend's starting to unnerve her and the sooner she find out the reason behind it (even though she's pretty convinced she has the general idea about it by now), the sooner she can punch him. Hard.

"I think I can carry you. You're pretty light," Tadashi comments off-handedly. GoGo turns and just stares back, because of all things, _that_, is the last thing she expects to hear from him.

"What. Are you talking about?" GoGo enunciates slowly, wondering if Tadashi's knocked his head too hard on his fortieth test earlier when Baymax punched him.

"Can I try lifting you up now?" Tadashi visibly brightens.

"N-No!" GoGo almost splutters. She hastily lowers her voice. "What the heck are you saying? Honey Lemon's lighter than me." She hisses, then regrets it almost immediately because for one reason or another, GoGo doesn't quite enjoy the idea of Honey Lemon in Tadashi's arms.

"It's more fun if it's you."

This time, GoGo's completely and utterly stunned. She's just staring into Tadashi Hamada's warm brown eyes, and he's almost trailing closer, closer and closer-

"Tadashi Hamada!" The spell breaks at the exact same time the nurse shatters the silence, and Tadashi smiles at GoGo one last time before turning away to heed his turn. That leaves GoGo standing motionlessly, eyes still wide with surprise and shock. Hurriedly, she crosses her arms and leans against the wall, acting as if nothing has happened even when she notices Wasabi's look of suspicion, and Honey Lemon's suggestive smile.

But when no one's looking, GoGo can't help but let her usually stoic mask break into the smallest of smiles.

Maybe her current appearance wasn't too bad after all. In fact, GoGo decides she's _perfectly_ happy in her own skin.

And she wouldn't force herself to change that for anything else in the world.

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><p>(1) Honey Lemon's really sweet and nice, and she does strike me as someone who might have a sweet tooth too!<p>

I think I need lessons, or at least tips, on how to end stories nicely. I tried to portray GoGo as being mildly self-conscious about her height and weight (I'm pretty short myself, so I know a bit of that feeling), but not being obsessive about her figure, or deathly jealous of Honey Lemon's. She might envy it, but I believe GoGo's comfortable in her own skin- even though she may still worry about what he friends think of her (particularly Tadashi, in my fic). I researched about their heights on , and I googled on average weights of their respective heights, at eighteen-nineteen years old or so. Honey Lemon should be around 56 kg in that case, but I decided to make her lighter because of a diet or so. I may update a little slower these days as I have matters going on, but thank you for reader's support, I'll do my best!


	5. Winter

5.

It's Winter time, it being December and all, and GoGo's bundled up more than enough with a new purple winter coat Honey had gotten her to wear. Not that she would have wanted to don it on in the first place, but it's _Honey_, and, well, GoGo concedes (though she would _never_ admit it) that the only other person who can convince her to do things she would rather not is one of her best friends- Tadashi Hamada. Still, GoGo decides she's actually pretty lucky to escape with only a single coat, when she sees Wasabi clad in two sweaters, a giant fur coat, green mittens and one fuzzy knit hat. She tries to stifle a laugh when she sees Fred dashing away in the opposite direction, with Honey hot on his heels holding onto yet another scarf. Her bubbly female companion is unusually persistent that everyone be dressed warmly enough for their walk in the snowy park- a rare break, and GoGo has to admit that she thinks the role suits Tadashi more. He _is_ the guy trying to invent a nursing robot, after all.

Ignoring the slightly rambunctious scene, GoGo shoves her gloved hands into her coat pockets and trudges away. GoGo doesn't want her friends to find her childish, but she couldn't help being fascinated by the winter wonderland, albeit the said 'wonderland' only being an old park. Still, it's quiet and peaceful, since the people of San Fransyoko rarely ventured towards nature these days, and GoGo hasn't had her fair share of nature for a long time. So, she's perfectly contented craning her neck to observe every inch of the grounds. GoGo's starting to enjoy herself immensely, and she decides she better head back to where her friends are-

Until she trips on a ledge in the middle of the park.

GoGo almost squeals when she's suddenly falling face-first into the snowy ground. She's met by a mound of snow to her face, which, while fluffy, made her want to borrow all of Fred's three scarves (At least, she assumes that Honey has succeeded in wrapping the third one around Fred's scrawny neck.) She's convinced no one has noticed her slip and hurriedly gets to her knees, coughing out snow on the way.

GoGo takes back her claim that no one saw when she finds herself staring at Tadashi's knees.

"Had a little slip?" Tadashi teases. His body is shaking, and for a split second, GoGo wonders if it's from the cold, until she looks up at his face and realises he's shaking from _laughter_.

She grits her teeth in annoyance and feels her face flush red from embarrassment. Of all people, it couldn't be the ever sweet Honey who would have pretended she saw nothing because she knew of GoGo's pride, or the cautious Wasabi who would have pulled her up in worry, or even the laid-back Fred who would already have fallen on his own devices.

GoGo's thrown out of her silent tirade when Tadashi extends his hand and offers it to her. He's still grinning, but his eyes held a gentle gaze. Once more, GoGo felt her face flush, neither from the cold nor the fall this time round. She shakes her head, sighs, and reaches out for Tadashi's hand. As their fingers intertwine, GoGo smiles.

And yanks down at Tadashi's hand with all the force she can muster.

"Woah-" Tadashi's mid-protests are forcibly drowned out when he collides into another pile of snow, face-first, in a similar fashion as to what GoGo had done so before. GoGo laughs and scoffs at how he has fallen for such a simple trick, but elects to wait for Tadashi to extract himself from the ground as she settles into a sitting position and hugs her knees to herself.

"Unbelievable." Tadashi mutters, brushing snow off himself. GoGo grins and extracts a stick of bubblegum from her coat pocket, popping it into her mouth.

"Least we're even now, Hamada."

"Can you _please_ stop using my last name when you're being sarcastic or sassy?"

"I'll stop doing that the same time you stop calling me Ethel when we're alone."

"I actually prefer Leiko. Suits you more-"

"It is _not _a choice, _Hamada-_"

"Again?! Unbelievable!"

"Oh, woman up!"

Their bantering comes to a halt when both of them run out of breath. And when GoGo finally has time to take in her current surroundings, she realises it's freezing cold. And wet. She thinks Tadashi notices her look- he finally laughs and flops back down the snow again.

"Wanna make snow angels-"

"Get real, Hamada."

"- Or," Tadashi pauses with a thoughtful look, "We can go get something warm to drink at Aunt Cass' store nearby. She's starting to sell bubblegum flavored coffee (1). I think it's cos of you,"

GoGo stares at Tadashi pointedly.

"Fine, it's bubblegum flavored coffee _syrup_, but close enough."

"I'll take up that offer over snow angels _any_ day, Tadashi." This time, GoGo gets up of her own accord and so does Tadashi. She doesn't mind, though, because when they share smiles and Tadashi beckons Honey Lemon and the rest to hang out at the cafe for a while, GoGo decides her five seconds of klutziness was worth it.

(It helps, ten minutes later, when they're all crowded at one of the cafe tables and GoGo is holding onto a steaming mug of bubblegum flavored coffee. It's not exactly, bubblegum flavored coffee, she admits, but it's coffee with the said coffee syrup stirred into it, and she's quite satisfied that it's close enough.)

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><p>(1) I actually did google it, but they only displayed bubblegum flavoured coffee syrup, so I amended it. I tried to find out if it could be used to make coffee but it didn't seem so, so I invented the idea of stirring it into the coffee instead.<p>

I've been having a bit of writer's block; so feel free to add it in your review or pm me if you have any tomadashi one-shot ideas, and I'll do my best to make it happen! I still have a few more fluffy chapters up my sleeves though, so no worries. Thank you for reading, and thanks for the support!


	6. Ice Skating

**Author's notes: Based on SorchaRossin's suggestion for ice skating, thank you for your support as well~**

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><p>6.<p>

Ice Skating ranks fourth in GoGo Tomago's list of "Top 5 sports to never try." (The other four are basketball, ice hockey, shot put and line dancing, though the last activity's title as a sport is questionable to GoGo).

Which is why when Honey Lemon (somehow it's _always_ Honey that's indirectly responsible for her scrapes and such) succeeds in securing tickets to go ice skating, GoGo's initial response is a flat-out no. It's only after 48 hours of badgering, bantering, begging and pleading that GoGo finally relents (she gives up when she sees the disappointed tears in Honey's eyes. GoGo swears her soft spot for her only female best friend will be the death of her in the future). Honey's reply is to beam brightly and tell GoGo she'll see her at the San Fransyoko Ice Rink at 2 pm in the afternoon, on the next day, along with Fred, Wasabi and Tadashi. She adds, with a hopeful grin, that if GoGo didn't know how to skate, she could _always _ask Tadashi, who's certain to be kind enough to teach he and hold her hand- Here, GoGo cuts Honey Lemon off by hurling a pillow at her and telling her not to push it.

But even then, GoGo's spent the first twenty minutes in the ice rink gripping the sidelines- she's pretty sure her knuckles are a pasty white under the thick black gloves she's forced to adopt in favor of her original fingerless ones. She hasn't moved an inch since everyone's set out- Honey Lemon and Tadashi prove to be amazing skaters, while Wasabi's too careful and going too slowly. Fred proves himself to be a straight-out klutz on ice.

GoGo took a deep breath. Woman up, she chided herself fiercely; if her four friends could do it, why not her? The memorably painful fall she had as a child of seven was ages ago (ten years, to be exact), and GoGo tries to tell herself that it's different this time round. She's not an enthusiastic child brimming full of eagerness to dominate the ice rink with untold speed anymore (she had a need-for-speed back then even when she was young), she's an adrenaline-junkie who's lost her naive persona, and who's interested _only_ (maybe the word 'only' was an exaggeration, but GoGo believes that extremities were required in quelling her childhood trauma) in speed.

So she steps her right foot out tentatively, and hears it make a small metallic click against the thick wall of ice. Excruciatingly slowly (slow considering it's _GoGo_, anyway), GoGo releases her death grip on the sidelines- which basically proves to be her lifeline. It's alright, she tells herself. It'll be fine. She won't suddenly lose her balance, suddenly feel her feet spread out farther than she intends, suddenly just _slip_ and land backwards on her head and black out-

GoGo steps her left foot out hastily when she realises that her train of supposedly encouraging thoughts are backfiring. It was a mistake; she feels her feet sliding across the ice unintentionally, beyond her control, and her mouth almost peels open to unleash a shriek-

"GoGo!" Tadashi calls out as he reaches forward to grab her arm, pulling GoGo back before she can catapult forward onto the ice. GoGo tries to steady her breathing and heart beat, but her eyes are opened wide and tinged with trauma, and she struggles to calm herself down. Finally, when it seems like the rate of her heartbeat has more or less resembled something normal, GoGo takes one look at the position she's in with Tadashi- leaning into his arms while he stares at her in concern- and it speeds up again. GoGo groans.

"What's wrong?" Tadashi asks, GoGo shoots him an irritable look and wonders how he can dismiss physical contact with such ease, but he _did_ save her from falling, so GoGo ends up mumbling a 'thank you' and resumes her death grip on the metal bar beside her. With her eyes closed, this time round.

"GoGo…?" Tadashi enquires, bending down to seal the height difference between them (which GoGo absolutely despises). "Could it be… You don't know how to skate…?"

Tadashi's words comes as an aggressive reminder to GoGo; her eyelids flicker open so quickly that he flinches. She turns to face him, never letting go of the sidelines even once, and shoots him a glare.

"No," GoGo mutters, which isn't exactly a lie, "I do know how to skate. I just… don't want to."

She's met with raised eyebrows. _This_, coming from a guy who can't quite lie his way out of a paper bag (he blames it on his conscience).

"Unbelievable."

"Believe it or not, Hamada." GoGo snaps back. She's tired, even though they're supposed to be here for two hours (the thought almost makes her want to cry), and GoGo's not interested in explaining herself, even though of all people, Tadashi Hamada should be the one who understands her best. But something deep inside GoGo seems to warn her of the impending judgement 'coward', should she reveal the truth, and the idea of eliciting that word from any of her friends, _especially_ Tadashi, is enough to strengthen her secretive resolve,

"C'mon, GoGo. Something's bothering you, and you know you can tell me." Tadashi insists. GoGo takes one look at his concerned and warm brown eyes. She's ashamed to admit it, but her resolve breaks.

"Fine. When I was seven years old, my mum and dad took me ice skating. It was one of the best times of my life. Wanted to be the fastest kid on ice," GoGo begins (she thinks she hears Tadashi chuckle lightly when she mentions her craving for speed even at a young age, but GoGo chooses to ignore it.)

"But I got too reckless. I skated too fast. One moment I was tearing against the wind, almost like I was flying. Next, my feet give way beneath me and I'm falling backwards. And it's not fun to fall on ice. Particularly at that speed." GoGo winces.

"I almost broke my skull." She ends hollowly, and even though GoGo's determined to mask all her weakness, the childhood trauma of blacking out after her fall and waking up in the sheer and cold hospital room is far too haunting for her to hide.

Tadashi's quiet for a while, and when GoGo steals a glance at him, she sees that he's speechless.

"Wow, GoGo… Never knew you were that traumatised," Tadashi mumbles, still looking stunned. "But then, why did you come here today, if you were that afraid?"

"I thought I could get over it, and besides, Honey went through a lot to get the tickets. She just wants us to have a good time. I can't disappoint her," GoGo answers matter-of-factly. She's vaguely aware of Tadashi's smile softening when she implies the strong bond she has with her only female companion, and rolls her eyes to make up for it.

"You haven't skated ever since that day?" He asks. GoGo manages a wry smile.

"I haven't set foot on ice ever since then," she confirms. "Even if I did know how to skate, I'd probably have forgotten it by now."

"Perfect!" Tadashi beams. GoGo's reply is to stare at him pointedly.

"What?"

"I said perfect, I can teach you then," Tadashi repeats, his eyes alight with excitement. GoGo hesitates at his suggestion. Sure, out of her four friends, Tadashi would probably be the best choice for her to learn from (Honey would be too enthusiastic- which would lead to considerable amount of accidents, GoGo thinks. Wasabi might be a pedantic teacher, too overly consumed by minute details. And Fred was a natural klutz. GoGo doesn't think she needs to learn from him to know how to fall). But it's Tadashi, which would mean _twice_ the self-consciousness, and twice the embarrassment.

But the idea of being freed from her childhood trauma proved too tempting for GoGo. And besides, if there was anyone she trusted would never let her fall (intentionally, anyway), it's Tadashi Hamada.

"Fine." GoGo quips, wishing she has her bubblegum with her now. She'd left it the locker, along with most of her belongings, given how she'd be busy enough trying not to fall, and could much less be chewing at the same time.

"Great! Let's start," Tadashi steps away from GoGo and points in the direction she's facing. "Always try walking first, it'd be rocky for a while, but it helps you get used to the friction of the ice, and get a better sense of balance. Hold on to the wall as you do so, and if it helps-" (GoGo thinks she almost hears Tadashi sniggering, but ignores it in favor of focusing on her current task) "- pretend you are a graceful animal moving through its natural habitat, or a bird flying above the sky (1)."

Now GoGo knows he was sniggering for sure. She snaps her head to her left and glares at Tadashi.

"Hiro liked to think he was a flying robot with wings," Tadashi supplies helpfully.

* * *

><p>"You taught Hiro how to skate before?"<p>

"Yea, back in Japan, we'd skate on the surface of the frozen lakes in Winter." Tadashi's smile becomes more affectionate now. "Hiro always fell- he lost his seventh baby tooth that way."

GoGo doesn't want to admit it, but she thinks the way Tadashi cares so much about his little brother is just the _slightest_ bit endearing. But before her mind can wander off to ramble on the list of "Things she found charming about Tadashi Hamada" (not that she really made a list such as that), GoGo hastily remembers to keep her knees bent slightly and leans forward, mumbling the mantra Tadashi has equipped her with. Well, it's not that much of a mantra as it is on which foot to move and when to move it ("Right. Left. Right. Left.") (2) while she's 'gliding' on ice. GoGo doesn't really find it like gliding, despite the name. She thinks she just looks awkward and clumsy, and she's still trying her best not to fall. Tadashi's taught her on what to do when she falls, which included clenching her fingers into a fist so she doesn't risk losing any fingers to a passing skater (GoGo's pretty sure she looked as horrified as she felt at that news, since it prompts Tadashi to hurriedly assure her that on no accounts would he allow her to fall), but GoGo would rather avoid the falling business altogether.

"I think you got the hang of it," Tadashi remarks. "Now it's time to go faster."

For the first time, the word 'Faster' brings an unpleasant lurch to GoGo's stomach.

"Faster?" GoGo repeats, immediately against the idea. She's barely learnt to glide (a word far too smooth to describe her actions, she thinks) and is still on the verge of clutching at the wall if Tadashi hadn't so insistingly placed himself between her and the railings. This time, GoGo's not all that inclined on speed, and the vulnerability of the situation, that even her speed has deserted her, makes her feel just the slightest bit inadequate (out of her peripheral vision, she already sees Honey, Wasabi and Fred chasing each other around).

"Don't worry, I'll be right by your side," Tadashi's saying in a soothing voice. GoGo's about to suggest that he join Fred and the gang instead, but Tadashi's hand is outstretched, and there's a patient look in his warm brown eyes. GoGo hesitates visibly for a while, turning her body slightly to face him, but when her feet start slipping as she breaks in concentration, GoGo swiftly latches onto Tadashi's outstretched palm, panicking (she thinks Tadashi might have laughed at how panicked she's been ever since the start of this ice skating session, but GoGo's glad to have kept most of her outbursts internal, meaning it only transferred to the biting of lips or tugging of her gloves whenever she's nervous or worried (3) ).

"Let's go," Tadashi glides across the ice fluidly, pulling GoGo along slowly. GoGo tries to calm her breathing when the distance between her and the wall widens, but the feeling of Tadashi's hand in hers is comforting, to say the least. As both of them pick up speed, GoGo feels the pressure on her shoulders lighten slowly, until they're skating rings around the ice rink at a moderately fast pace.

She's skating fast, albeit not at the dangerously quick speeds she's used to, and she's not on the verge of falling. GoGo feels a sense of exhilaration overcome her, and she turns to smile at Tadashi-

But Tadashi's letting go of her hand, and despite her black gloves, she thinks her hand feels surprisingly cold now. Then it hits GoGo. She's skating. On her own.

Her first thought is to panic.

But that'd get her into bigger trouble. GoGo runs through all the instructions Tadashi has given her in a hurry, checking her posture and her position. She's fine for a while, but her feet start sliding apart and GoGo flails about for something to hold onto.

"I'm here, I'm here." Her hand is grabbed by Tadashi Hamada again, and he whispers another set of instructions- this time, to get her to stop. GoGo obediently bends her knees slightly inward and pushes off with both of her feet, even though she feels numb and her feet are just the slightest bit damp now. They come to a complete halt as they reach the railings by the edge of the ice rink again.

"Are you alright, GoGo? I'm sorry, I wanted you to try it on your own or you'd become too dependent-" GoGo socks him in the arm. Hard.

"Ow!"

"Woman up! And don't you ever try that again, without warning!" GoGo snarls.

"And I thought you were an adrenaline-junkie…" Tadashi mutters

"Sometimes there's a difference between adrenaline rush and thinking you're going to die." GoGo pauses for a few minutes, trying to regulate her breathing again and process her thoughts. Tadashi stands by her side, taking a breather, and feeling just the slightest bit guilty about the act he's pulled.

"… How'd Hiro do when you tried that on him?"

"Freaked out completely. He nearly rammed into a tree if I hadn't pulled him back."

* * *

><p>"Say 'Ice skating'!" Honey Lemon chirps as she pulls out her phone and snaps a picture of the five of them. They're huddled near the entrance of the ice rink, minutes before their time runs out, and Honey Lemon has called upon the decision to end their day with a photo. GoGo rolls her eyes and inches forward slowly, but Tadashi grabs her hand and pulls her in at the last minute, so that her face in the picture is mildly surprised, yet with a hint of a smile on her face. She socks him in the arm again, but he grins it off and says it's worth it.<p>

In the photo, the five of them are smiling, despite their numb legs and fatigue. But when Honey Lemon zooms in on it a little, she tells GoGo that she swears she sees Tadashi and her with their hands held together. GoGo gives an indifferent grunt to the news.

Honey giggles at GoGo's change in reaction when she flicks to the next photo and sees a vaguely blurry photo of her skating with Tadashi, hand in hand. They have a mini scuffle over the phone, either to delete the photo (GoGo) or save it (Honey). GoGo wins after three minutes, but she's too exhausted to do much and ends up giving Honey Lemon her phone back after a victorious punch into the air. (4)

Honey Lemon scrolls through her gallery in dismay, mourning slightly over the missing photo. GoGo decides not to tell Honey that she had sent it to her own phone before hitting the delete button.

(In the photo, she realises they're smiling at each other. And she decides Ice Skating isn't that bad after all.)

* * *

><p>(1) and (2)- I got most of the ice skating tutorial info from wikihow. I've only been to ice skating once, and it's been around two months ago so I can't quite remember how my friends taught me, except for the "Right. Left. Right. Left." 'mantra', which really helped, for my case anyway.<p>

(3)- Since GoGo's quite scarred by nearly dying because of her fall when she was young, I wrote her to be notably traumatised and panicky in this scenario. But since GoGo really panicking and being worried is quite OOC for her, it's shown that she's kept most of her outbursts internal, meaning that if she's surprised or so, she usually just widens her eyes and such. It's slightly hinted, or can be interpreted that she chooses to do so because she doesn't want to be deemed a coward for being scared.

(4)- I tend to trail off to a bit of humor when I end my chapters, influenced by some books I've read before. What do you guys think? If it's decidedly _not_ humorous, I'll do my best to lessen it.

I tried incorporating most of my experience as a beginner when I first ice skated (it was 70% panicking, when I think about it), so the story would be understandable and well-written (because writing with emotions and experiences makes the story more realistic in my eyes). Hiro and Tadashi skating together when they were young came as a cool addition to me, since the brothers are really close. I ended my Ice skating trip with a photo, so it seemed appropriate Honey Lemon would do so too (though the GoGo and Tadashi photo was a sudden spark). Thank you for the wonderful reviews, readers, and for the impressive suggestions as well. It gave me a lot of inspiration and I'll do my best to continue. This chapter took a lot more work than I originally perceived but it was worth it in the end. Hope readers enjoyed!


	7. First meeting

**Author's notes: Inspired by the prompt- "We are the only two people who turn up at the wrong room for a lecture but we have no idea where it's held at." Because I haven't been updating, I've decided to squeeze two chapters in a day. Hope readers enjoy, and thank you for the wonderful reviews! **

* * *

><p>7.<p>

The first time GoGo meets Tadashi Hamada, they both turn up at the wrong venue for a lecture.

He walks into the classroom just in time to see her slouched against the wall, arms crossed, chewing gum, blowing bubbles after every five chews and seething with frustration. It's been twenty minutes and no one has made an appearance. GoGo stares ahead of her fixedly, too grumpy to notice the student that walks in. It's her first day in San Fransyoko Institute of Technology, and GoGo is neither interested nor willing to "make friends" like her stepmother has instructed. Coupled along with her lack of sleep, and the fact that the student's staring at her like he's never seen someone with a purple streak in her hair before, GoGo decides that yes, she's in a very bad mood.

"How long have you been standing there?" The student decides to be the first to break the silence. GoGo eyes him contemplatively for a while before sighing.

"Twenty minutes."

"I see."

An awkward silence fills the air, but GoGo's never been one for socialising. She's pretty used to people treating her as if she's a contagious disease or a dangerous animal ready to strike, so it doesn't really bother her when the student regards her with a slightly perplexed look.

"Has it.. Has it ever occurred to you that we might be in the wrong classroom?"

"…"

GoGo swears the silence that follows is a lot more excruciating than the any other she has withstood. But even as she tries to come up with a fathomable answer that would not reveal her ignorance, she suddenly finds the said student standing in front of her. He's bending down (GoGo feels somewhat irked at the vast height difference between them), and she finally takes a proper look of him. He's wearing a black baseball cap with a red-and-gold San Fransokyo Ninja lettering on it, under a mass of tousled hair, and he has the warmest brown eyes that GoGo has ever seen. GoGo's about to comment on his lacking perception of personal space, but the student cuts her off before she so much as opens her mouth.

"Looks like we're both in the wrong venue for Professor Callaghan's lecture, so we might as well look for the right classroom together," He suggests brightly

GoGo doesn't quite know how she's gotten dragged into this, but the student marches out without looking back and, seeing as she's as good as lost if she were to stay, GoGo ends up following.

* * *

><p>The student's name is Tadashi Hamada, and he's the smiliest person GoGo has met by far.<p>

She doesn't mean it in a complimentary way- the way he seems to _always_ smile already acts as a foil to GoGo's stoic self. But there _is_ something relieving in having company while searching for the right lecture hall; GoGo's pretty sure she would have ended up everywhere but at the venue if she were to venture off on her own.

"What's your name?"

"Leiko Tanaka. Call me Ethel." GoGo almost chuckles at the surprised expression on Tadashi's face, but keeps her amusement at bay. She's almost enjoying his bemused expression, but given how he's been relatively helpful so far, she sighs and delivers a brief explanation.

"I got renamed when my Dad moved here from Japan." She grunts in a bored manner. No need to tell him more than he needed to know- which included being mother-less for a brief period of time after her parents had called for a divorce, a situation she would have decidedly preferred over having her name forcefully changed from Leiko Tanaka to Ethel when her Western-styled stepmother came into the picture.

"I see," Tadashi replies. They trail off into silence, but GoGo thinks it's strangely not as awkward as it was before.

* * *

><p>Every time they go into a wrong classroom (she knows it's the wrong classroom because they're either empty or dotted with lingering students discussing about their projects), Tadashi somehow manages to come up with random questions that annoy her.<p>

"What's your favorite color?" (Purple, she'd answered in a bored tone.)

"How old are you?" (Seventeen, she prepares to punch him should he comment that she was shorter than a seventeen year old girl should be.)

"Why do you keep chewing gum?" (It occupies me, she grunts)

"What's with the purple streak in your hair?" (First of all, it's _violet_. And told you purple was my favorite color, she replies grumpily.)

Finally, at the fifteenth question (Yes they've been to fifteen wrong classrooms and GoGo's ready to believe she's hopelessly lost), GoGo snaps and glares at the taller teen.

"Why," GoGo pops a pink bubble pointedly. "Do you have so many questions?"

"Because I want to know more about you." Tadashi says it simply, like it's a straightforward fact and nothing more, but GoGo can't help thinking it's the first time anyone in school has been interested in her as a _person_, not a potential piece of gossip. And a part of her feels just a slightest bit wanted.

It doesn't stop her from punching his arm, of course.

* * *

><p>"Are you hungry yet?" Tadashi asks. They've been scouring the first few levels of the institute, and <em>none<em> of them turned out to be the venue for that damned lecture. GoGo wishes she's paid more attention when the details regarding Professor Callaghan's talk were read out, instead of being more interested in blowing and popping her bubblegum (She defends herself by saying Tadashi's no better- He had fallen asleep after bailing his younger brother- Hiro, she thinks his name was, from a botfight).

For a while, she wants to say no and continue looking for the lecture, but breakfast's only been half a sandwich (cos she can't seem to work out an appetite early in the morning) and a piece of gum (which she's still chewing on), and after so long, she's pretty sure it's almost over anyway. Besides, it's almost lunchtime now, and GoGo ends up mumbling a reluctant yes.

"Great, I'll lead you to the cafeteria," Tadashi offers, already heading in another the direction. When they reach, the plsce is already generously dotted with students, none of which GoGo recognises. But it's not crowded yet, and she's pretty relieved because GoGo doesn't like mingling in crowds, despite the fact that Tadashi seems like a sociable Mr. Popularity who probably had many friends (1). He's so damn _nice_ after all, and it doesn't hurt that he's rather good-looking to- GoGo blinks and pushes that thought away. She spits out her gum into its wrapper, bracing herself for whichever huge crowd her 'tour guide' was probably going to lead her to.

Instead, he leads her to a table with two people- a scrawny man wearing baggy clothes, and a tall hulking guy with dreadlocks, whom he immediately greets (2).

"Fred, I thought you had mascot duties?" He asks the man with baggy clothes- whom GoGo takes to be Fred.

"Nah, I got released early," Fred replies gleefully. GoGo stands behind Tadashi quietly, feeling somewhat intrusive.

"Oh yea, this is Leiko Tanaka. Call her Ethel." Tadashi pulls GoGo forward as he introduces her to the group, and she's just the smallest bit amused that he's echoed her way of introducing her name. She shrugs off the "Hi"s and "How do you do"s and hurries away to get her lunch before her lack of social ability becomes all to evident.

When she returns to the table with a small plate of tamagoyaki (it's her favourite food after all), Tadashi's seated down and the three of them are deep in conversation. For a while, GoGo makes to move away to another empty table, but Tadashi catches sight of her and waves her towards the vacant seat beside him. She hesitates, but supposes that she should actually experience eating lunch with others so that her dad wouldn't make a fuss about her aloofness again. GoGo slips into the seat and starts to devour her food hungrily. She's formally introduced to Fred and Wasabi, (It was just _one_ time, the latter groans, when GoGo raises her eyebrows at his introduction) who apparently got his name from the unfortunate namesake stain on his shirt.

"You sure look like a biker," Wasabi comments, in an almost cautious tone. GoGo shoots him a look, trying to search for signs of mockery, but he merely seems curious- albeit a little scared too.

"Yea." Given how uncomfortable he looks, she decides to elaborate. "I'm an adrenaline junkie."

"Cool," Fred pipes up, his eyes alight. GoGo rolls her eyes and continues with a meal silently, until Fred's exclamations almost make her choke.

"I KNOW, let's call her GoGo! Y'know, _Go-go_? For her need for speed and all that?" He shouts in triumph. "GoGo-" Fred's eyes land on the plate of tamagoyaki she's holding (GoGo regrets the purchase of her favorite food now). "Tomago! GoGo Tomago!"

"What. Is that ridiculous name even for?!" GoGo seethes through gritted teeth. "And it's Tamago, not Tomago!"

"Are you saying you want to be named after an egg?" Tadashi puts in.

"No!" GoGo glares at him with a you're-not-helping look. Tadashi simply smiles it off and raises his drink, as if he was wishing her good luck in changing Fred's mind.

She argues with them for fifteen minutes, but it's too late. She's stuck with the dumbest nickname of GoGo Tomago (even though it's not the worst name she's ever been called) and she doubts it's ever going to change.

She tries to avoid the thought that the name 'GoGo' has a certain _ring_ to it.

* * *

><p>It's her first day of school, so at night, her dad calls her and asks (rather stiffly at that) "How was school?"<p>

GoGo thinks back on the day's events- Meeting a perky-but-actually-kinda-cute guy, wandering around the institute and getting lost, finding out from Wasabi that Professor Callaghan actually cancelled his lecture due to some 'family matters', (meaning that she spent close to two hours trying to find his classroom for _no_ _reason_), and the stupid nickname she's somehow acquired.

"It wasn't bad." She grunts, and she wonders if he can hear the smile in her voice.

* * *

><p>I sincerely apologise if you find the ending abrupt (again), but I did want to show that GoGo's actually enjoyed the day because she's rarely had friends due to her cold exterior.<p>

(1)- I think GoGo originally expected Tadashi to be extremely popular with a crowd of friends, instead of being close to only a few of them that might even be considered misfits.

(2)- I didn't include Honey Lemon because in Chapter 2, I wrote that Honey Lemon got her nickname from Iced Honey Lemon cookies she baked, and since that means she won't have a nickname when GoGo first meets her, she would have to be introduced by her real name which I have no idea about. My junior later told me Honey apparently got her nickname from her favourite TV show (Oops.)


	8. Rain

**Author's notes: I typed this out at 3 am in last night on my phone, and I hoped you guys enjoy it as I haven't had much time or writing inspiration to update frequently. Merry Christmas to my dear readers too, and Happy New Year!**

* * *

><p>8.<p>

GoGo Tomago hates the rain.

She doesn't mind it that much when she's in a building, staring at it from the other side of the window. She doesn't mind it that much when she's tearing down the street on her motorbike, and the raindrops fall harmlessly on her (she can't feel it much anyway, with her helmet and leather jacket on). She doesn't mind it that much even when she's running down the street while it's raining, without an umbrella (even though the occasional cold and flu that follow aren't that welcome.)

She minds it very much, though, when it's raining heavily- the sky thick with a sea of grey, and she's stranded at an empty bus stop with a set of very important blueprints in her hands (1). GoGo's spent two weeks on it, stayed up to 3 am noting down and finalising everything, and it's deemed too valuable to leave behind in the lab.

She regrets that move now, because she has neither an umbrella nor a bag and she's not risking running through the rain to get home, even if it's only a ten minute walk from here. It's too far to go back to the lab, and GoGo decides she's well and truly stuck. She sighs and shivers, resolving she really needs to get a leather jacket that defended her from the cold (2).

"GoGo?" GoGo looks up in surprise when her name is called. The bus stops' been empty for the whole time she's stayed there, and the last bus had left long ago. Yet someone's calling her name, and while her first instinct is to punch whoever's doing so, closer inspection of the tall figure holding an umbrella above her tells GoGo it's Tadashi Hamada.

"Tadashi?" She echoes back incredulously. Today's been one of her latest nights at the lab, and everyone had went home hours ago- Tadashi being the second latest. Again. She certainly doesn't expect to see him in front of her now (It's almost _4_ in the morning).

"What are you doing here?"

"You gave your bag to Honey Lemon, so I assume you didn't have your umbrella with you. And since it's raining now, I thought you might have been stranded or something."

"I could have stayed at the institute," GoGo points out.

"You'd be too tempted by your bed-" She glares at him. "Besides, you know you'd get into trouble if Honey Lemon comes in early and finds out you didn't get home."

It's true (her earlier experiences of tricking Honey into believing she went home earlier than she actually did hadn't boded well for GoGo. She knows Honey cares for her health, but there was just _some_ work she simply couldn't leave lying around undone), GoGo has to give Tadashi that, and it makes her think that sometimes, her best friend knows her better than she knows herself

"I remembered you told Honey Lemon to bring back your bag for you because you were leaving the lab in an hour, disregarding the fact that your phone and umbrella were in there." He raises his eyebrows. "And that it was troublesome to carry it back while you were lugging all your _equipment_ home."

GoGo rolls her eyes, knowing that he's aware she never intended to leave in merely an hour, and that depositing her bag in Honey Lemon's hands (along with the lie that she would be bringing her equipment back home) was to convince the latter to leave earlier so that she could avoid her chiding for staying up so late (She definitely hadn't expected such a heavy rain, and she decides maybe it's karma).

"Was the only way to get her to leave earlier, (3)" GoGo grunts. "Never knew I was going to stay so late anyway. Should have just slept in the lab or something, but the idea of a warm bed _was_ too tempting-" She yawns.

"I'll walk you home then," Tadashi offers, smiling despite the faint shadows under his eyes.

GoGo stays quiet for a while. She doesn't particularly want to, because recently, it's been weird being around her best friend- heck, she doesn't even know if they're still friends or not. Tadashi's been just the _slightest_ bit more than a friend to her (Honey Lemon keeps telling her that they're "practically dating"), yet he's never acknowledged or showed signs that he's anything _more_ than that.

She thinks having him walk her home in the rain is going to make her head explode from thinking too much, but she's been stranded for close to an hour, and GoGo's too tired to find an alternative. She ends up sighing tiredly and walking beside the tall Hamada after handing him her neatly folded blueprints, since his inner cardigan pocket would be a much safer place compared to her leather-gloved hands (4).

It's not as bad as she thinks. Tadashi makes small talk and congratulates her on the compilation of her carefully written blueprints (she's finally put all her quick scribbles (5) on random pieces of scrap paper together, which is a lot harder than it sounds). GoGo answers and nods and talks and she thinks maybe, it's better this way, after all- Staying friends, nothing more.

She ignores the slight sting in her heart at the idea, that all the moments that he made so special are nothing in the end- that she's read too much into it (God, she's as dramatic as Honey Lemon (6) ). Or that maybe Tadashi simply got tired of her and just wants to be friends now. Or that he might even (GoGo's heart twists painfully for some reason) be interested in someone else now- if he was ever interested in her in the first place.

"-go? GoGo?" Suddenly, Tadashi's calling her name and his hand is on one of her shoulders. They're already at the front door of her apartment, and she vaguely wonders how long they've been standing there. GoGo snaps out of her trance and flinches slightly at his touch. She pushes his hand away hastily, trying to cover up for her lapse.

GoGo thinks she sees a flash of hurt in Tadashi's eyes when she removes his hand roughly. Yet it's gone in an instant and replaced with something else. GoGo can't quite put her finger on it, but when Tadashi starts speaking really fast about the next day's plans, and his eyes flit about distractedly, the answer strikes her like a lightning bolt.

He's nervous.

GoGo's about to ask why the hell is Tadashi Hamada nervous because he's one of the calmest people she knows (except when he's ranting or worrying about his younger brother), until the former gives a big sigh and looks at her. GoGo averts his gaze, because she's starting to get uncomfortable and deep down, some part of her heart wonders if he's going to tell her she never meant anything more than a friend to him.

"There's something in your hair."

"... What?" At his words, GoGo runs her fingers through her short ruffled hair in irritation. She thinks that Tadashi _definitely_ needs lessons on getting to his points faster (After all, if he wants to break her heart, he should hurry up about it so she can pick up its fragmented pieces quicker and move on with her life).

"Look up," He orders softly. GoGo sighs as she does so and stares at his face, permitting him to remove whatever's stuck in her hair.

Then Tadashi kisses her.

GoGo almost forgets to breathe because _wasn't_ he going to tell her he wasn't interested in her and what about the _thing_ in her hair- (7) but it doesn't really matter, and she starts kissing back. When they finally break apart (She needs air), there's a tentatively awkward note in the air as they stare at each other silently. GoGo realises Tadashi looks a little out of breath too.

She says the first thing that comes to her mind-

"You taste of donuts."

And regrets it the moment it leaves her mouth. GoGo cringes inwardly and waits for Tadashi to laugh.

"Must be the midnight snack I got before I snuck out of the Lucky Cat Cafe (8)," Tadashi mumbles sheepishly. GoGo's glad that he hadn't poked fun at her observation, in fact, he actually looks pretty embarassed, and GoGo's heart suddenly skips a beat, because she never knew Tadashi could look _even_ cuter when he's blushing- She blinks and frantically tries to erase that thought (For some reason, it's never occured to her that the tall asian would be as uncertain as her about all of this).

"Tadashi, does that-" GoGo pauses almost uncertainly, and she _hates_ it because she's putting her happiness into someone else's hands and that someone else can crush it and bend it to his very will and it leaves her so _vulnerable_-

"Does that mean we're _dating_?"

Tadashi blinks.

"You mean we weren't dating before?"

* * *

><p>I made GoGo look up because there were too many tall characters bending down to kiss their love interests (I have no idea if it makes sense or not). I wrote the title as 'Umbrella' instead of 'Dating' or even 'First kiss' since I wanted to surprise readers (I know some or even most of you probably already guessed but if you didn't, hey, it worked!) Initially, I wanted to end it with "Definitely." or something, and for Tadashi to be surprised at GoGo's question, but I got a sudden stroke of inspiration and decided to include a more humorous ending.<p>

(1)- Originally I meant it to be an important test paper or something, but an inspiration from the amazing author fairytalelights led me to amend it to blueprints instead.

(2)- Mild reference to the first chapter.

(3)- I think GoGo wouldn't have wanted Honey Lemon to stay up late just for her, so she often tries to convince her not to wait.

(4)- I included this cos I realised GoGo would still be holding on to them when they were kissing and that'd be a little awkward (and she might have dropped them out of surprise, which isn't going to score Tadashi any points).

(5)- GoGo looks like someone who would live with quick scribbles until she straightened everything out, because, well, I think her need for speed makes her a little impatient sometimes.

(6)- Honey Lemon does seem like someone who would gush and fangirl over romantic moments, and GoGo thinks maybe she acted like her and read too much into the situations (she didn't, of course).

(7)- She doesn't quite realise it was an excuse then (I put this in just in case some readers got confused).

(8)- Tadashi snuck out of the Lucky Cat Cafe because he was worried that GoGo would be stranded and well, that act wasn't really planned. That also partially explains the faint shadows under his eyes that GoGo notices earlier because he was worried about her and couldn't sleep well until he finally gave it up and decided to check the Institute.


	9. Movie Nights

**Author's notes: This inspiration came from something that cropped up in one of my prefect meetings. It was quite sudden but really enjoyable writing this; I hope readers enjoy. Even though I don't have much leisure time to write nowadays, I always have the support of my readers to push me on. Thank you once again for all the wonderful reviews, favourites and follows given by my readers. I'm sorry this is not too long, but rest assured, a new chapter will be coming up soon after this! (Hint: Birthday Gift) **

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><p>9.<p>

Saturday nights are movie nights for the Nerd Lab. At least, that's what Honey Lemon says, even though they tend to alternate weeks depending on their current workload - which has been piling up a month ago. The newly added project has led to the sacrificing of movie night for six weeks now, and GoGo's pretty glad that the pattern is back on track, since everything has been wrapped up yesterday. No thanks to Fred and Wasabi, who were too lazy and uptight respectively to give much help.

GoGo's never said it, but she has to admit that she misses movie nights. It's fun, no matter how irritating Fred can become or how loud Honey Lemon can fangirl, and it's a time of relaxation for the Nerd Lab's occupants to enjoy and laugh their worries off - worries including the electromagnetic wheels she's currently working on. It's speed and control needed _a_ _lot_ of tweaking-

"GoGo, no thinking about work!" Honey Lemon chides firmly. GoGo grunts in reply, but the small upperward curve of her lips shows her assent towards Honey Lemon's words. It is not like she wants to spend any of her leisure time on something likely to result in another headache, after all.

She walks over to 'her spot' on the couch - situated two seats away from the wall because it has a decent view of the television screen and is distant enough from Fred's seat to avoid his annoying habit of quoting the next line (particularly if they were watching a superhero movie) and giving spoilers (_especially_ if they were watching a superhero movie. It spoilt Iron Man 3 for her.)

But it's already occupied. By _Tadashi_.

GoGo frowns, half-confused and half-irritated. That's her seat ever since movie night became a tradition, and she more or less expects Tadashi to know it.

"Movie it, Hamada!" She snaps. "That's my spot."

"But that new potted plant Honey bought means I can't seat on the floor beside the sofa." Tadashi protests. Nevertheless, he still makes an effort to create some space for GoGo. The latter taps her foot impatiently - arms crossed, popping her bubblegum - as Tadashi nudges Wasabi with his elbow to try to get him to move. It evidently doesn't work, GoGo quips silently, because after some shuffling, what's left of her spot is merely an empty space barely five centimeters wide. Tadashi notices what she's glaring at and pauses.

"You can sit on my lap instead." He offers.

GoGo gapes at him. Tadashi stares back.

"..._Oh_." He blinks slowly, only belatedly realising the weight of his words.

Then GoGo explodes

"What- _No_! You- You IDIOT! You can't just say something like _that_! I -" She stops abruptly when she realises Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Fred are staring at them.

"_Urgh_!" GoGo slams her foot on Tadashi's ("_Ow_!" He yelps) and stalks out of the room in a flustered haze.

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><p>She comes back a few minutes later with a bowl of popcorn, and quite conveniently, the seat beside Tadashi is empty. Wasabi has elected to sit on the floor (After cleaning it, of course, he confirms. GoGo just rolls her eyes.) because he takes up too much space on the couch. GoGo doesn't say anything about having to sit next to Tadashi. She just spits out her gum (She had to after receiving multiple complains that her gum popping disrupts the movie) and thins her lips. She moves over to the vacant seat and settles down, passing some popcorn to Honey Lemon. It takes a few minutes, but eventually, her body relaxes, she forgets about the awkward words that Tadashi has spouted earlier, and she starts to immerse herself in the movie (It's Fast and Furious 6) (1).<p>

"Y'know, I didn't mean it like _that_ when I said you could sit on my lap," Tadashi mumbles softly as he reaches for some popcorn. His words are soft enough for only GoGo to hear, even though Honey Lemon is craning her neck slightly to observe the exchange. GoGo grunts, because part of her already knows Tadashi Hamada isn't ever going to be interested in her _that_ way-

"But I wouldn't really mind if you _did_ do it anyway-"

GoGo slams the popcorn bowl as hard as she can against Tadashi ("_Ow_.") in an effort to make him stop talking ("_Unbelievable_."). It works, and even though they're getting to the scene where the car is speeding through the streets like there's no tomorrow (which is the way she likes it), GoGo is pretty sure her face is red for the entirety of the movie, and that Tadashi is smiling.

* * *

><p>(1) - GoGo seems like someone who'd enjoy racing movies.<p> 


End file.
